Don't Question It
by Bralt
Summary: Halt has his reasons for doing things, you really shouldn't question it
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okay, so me being the person I am, clicked the wrong file when I posted this and accidentally posted the very sad songfic 'Crying For Me' anywho, this is now fixed so anything in reviews regarding sadness and all was for the wrong thing...sorry for the confusion:D**

It was a beard. Why did it matter? What made it so threatening on the face of Halt? It was the first thing Gilan noticed as his mentor stepped out of his room. He'd shaved. And for some reason he looked…nicer. Gilan knew that couldn't possibly be true. No way was Halt going to be any nicer because his beard was gone. He just…looked it. The dark facial hair had looked like a shadow on his face, more menacing like a Ranger should be. Without it, it was just odd looking at Halt now. Almost like it wasn't exactly him.

"Close your mouth, you might catch a fly," Halt snapped as he took a seat at the table. Gilan, who was cooking breakfast as a punishment, closed his mouth with a snap but didn't move. "What?" Halt asked agitatedly when Gilan continued his staring.

"There's something wrong with your face," the apprentice said dumbly. Halt frowned and unconsciously ran a hand over where his beard used to be.

"Some might take that as an offensive comment. Would you say that if you saw King Duncan shaven?" Halt questioned. He wasn't fond of having no beard, his chin was a tad cold but he'd chosen to do it anyways.

"King Duncan doesn't have a beard," Gilan replied, getting back some of his usual attitude. Halt rolled his eyes.

"Fine then, how about Rodney? If you saw him with no mustache what would you say?" Halt asked. He felt his stomach rumble a little as he smelled breakfast. Why was his apprentice being stupid now when his bacon was running the risk of burning?

"Well why would Rodney shave?" Gilan asked, not finding an answer. Halt glared at his apprentice, the effect not being as threatening without the beard. "It's all in the beard!" Gilan shouted joyously. Halt gave him a look implying that he was debating having the healers check his apprentice's head. "It's your beard that makes you so scary!" Gilan went on as if it were obvious, which it might have been.

"Get back to making breakfast," Halt said tired of the discussion, his stomach protesting to the lack of attention.

"You have to answer something first," Gilan said, his cocky grin playing across his lips. Halt, desperate for his morning meal, rolled his eyes but gave a grunt of acceptance. "Why?"

"Why what?" Halt asked, getting the slightest bit uneasy. "You're going to burn my food if you keep on like this," he added and Gilan, grinning like a stupid fool, went and took the bacon off the heat so it wouldn't burn. He then turned back to Halt with his arms folded across his chest.

"Why did you shave?" the apprentice pressed and Halt glared at him un-menacingly.

"Do I need a reason?" Halt said evasively.

"Well, I remember Crowley commenting on the fact you were looking a bit shaggy at the last Gathering. You replied by telling him you would shave when you felt like it. Yesterday you barely had stubble!" Gilan answered triumphantly.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Halt asked, confused at his apprentice's 'reasoning'.

"You did it because of Pauline didn't you?" Gilan was leaning against the counter now; his grin even wider if that was possible. Halt looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

"Yesterday. We went up to the castle to talk to Arald and her. When I was walking in front of you when we left she mentioned how she thought you might look better without a beard. Or start of one," he explained happily.

"Give me my breakfast," Halt said sharply. That was enough for Gilan and he started to laugh. "What's so funny? I shaved because it gets hot outside when I'm trying to teach you how to act like a Ranger," Halt made up. Gilan laughed even harder.

"Halt," he said in a gasp. It's November, it's about as cold as can be without snow coming down," he added before dissolving into laughter again.

"Is that so?" Halt questioned. Gilan nodded, too busy laughing to notice the glint in Halt's eyes. Even without the beard it was a bit scary.

Halt stood and grabbed Gilan's shirt at the back of the neck. Hauling his apprentice with him, Halt threw him out the door. Gilan stumbled backwards and fell down the stairs. He landed on his backside on the frozen ground. He stood up hurriedly but was too slow as Halt slammed the door and locked it. Gilan shivered as he knocked on the door. He didn't have his cloak or his boots on and was getting worried when there was no answer.

"Halt!" he called. "Let me in!"

"I'm not here," Halt called back. "Try again in a few hours."

**Y'all would be nice if yah reviewed and stuff. Oh and this might turn into a few more chapters if I can figure something out. It won't be a continuation of Gilan and Halt's beard though, just other things Halt might do**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okay, I know I said I would be updating far more on the Gilan story, but I found out that spinning around in circles doesn't always end well...especially if there's a wooden post there. And apparently you can get a concussion from it...I wasn't really up to writing, please for give me**

**Anyway, I did say in the last chapter that if I got any ideas, I would add to this story and thanks to TugLover98, there is now a chapter to add:) **

Halt looked at his distorted reflection in the pot he was cleaning. Maybe he hadn't noticed it, but he was a bit more cleaned up than usual for when he had to go to meetings up at the castle. Now he was studying his beard in the mirror, trying to figure out if one side was a bit more unshaven than the other side. Setting the pot down when he heard the door to the cabin open, Halt turned to face his apprentice.

"I told you to go practice shooting," Halt stated gruffly, unconsciously picking a piece of lint off of his shirt. Gilan smiled at the gesture.

"I always have to shoot, I think it's time I learned what to do in meetings," Gilan responded easily. Halt raised an eyebrow.

"If you've been shooting so much, why can't you hit the broad side of a barn yet?" Grabbing his cloak and flipping the cowl up, Halt started towards the door. Gilan's smile grew and he attempted an eyebrow raise, something he'd been practicing far more than he'd like to admit.

"Why are you wearing that cloak?" he asked innocently, one of his talents, for he was never innocent. Halt turned and looked at him.

"It's a Ranger cloak, Gilan. I know you have a thick skull, but you've been using yours for about three years now," Halt replied. Glian's smile didn't falter.

"That's the cloak you use when we go to meetings in Castle Araluen. You hate that thing, it's not as comfortable as our usual ones," Gilan said. Halt's other eyebrow came up to meet the first.

"A certain apprentice was supposed to do laundry yesterday, but decided he should go down to Wensley and flirt with the inn owner's daughter," Halt retorted. Gilan shook his head.

"And a certain master made me work halfway into the night doing chores, one of them being the laundry."

Halt shook his head. "It doesn't make a difference; it was the first thing I grabbed."

"I suppose it was just a random thing that you cut your hair this morning as well. Better than usual no less." Gilan felt Halt's glare on him but ignored it, it wasn't a good thing, but he was getting more familiar to that look."

"Now I can't cut my hair," Halt grumbled and started back towards the door, muttering about apprentices. Gilan hid his laugh and followed his mentor out to the stables.

"Well I think Lady Pauline will admire how much care you took into your appearance today," the apprentice said, taking a cautionary step back as Halt spun around and glared at him. He could have been mistaken, but Gilan swore he saw a shade of light red creep into his mentor's cheeks and ears.

For a few minutes Halt kept his glare upon his apprentice, but said nothing, creating a threatening silence. Gilan tried not to, but he ended up dropping his eyes from his senior and shifting a few times. All the while, his customary smile refused to leave him and he'd burst out in laughter once or twice as well.

"Tree," Halt stated in a terrifyingly calm voice. Gilan frowned and looked at him.

"Yes, Halt, there are trees," Gilan said as if speaking to a child. Halt wasn't amused by this.

"Climb it and stay," his mentor ordered. Gilan stayed still for a second, but saw Halt fiddling with the hilt of his saxe. Looking back, Gilan doubted Halt would have used it, but it did the job and he sprinted to a nearby tree and climbed it. Gilan also realized later it might have been for his own safety he'd climbed the tree, just in case Halt _did _happen to use some kind of force on him.

Once Halt had ridden away, Gilan considered climbing down. There was no way Halt could tell if he did, was there? He shook his head, Halt had a way of knowing everything that went on and he didn't want to see what might happen. As the hours stretched on and Halt came back and ignored the apprentice, Gilan tried to shift into a position that would be more comfortable. Finding none, he sighed frustratedly. Sometimes it was better to just not question Halt.

**Hope you enjoyed it, please review, and if you have any ideas for this, I'd like to hear them. This isn't my top priority so it's not something I think about a lot and forget about, so if you have any ideas, that'd be cool**


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